Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird wanted to be a comedian ever since he watched the Young Ones on Comic Relief when he eight years old. Since then he’s performed all over the world as well as doing regular TV warm Ups for HIGNFY and Deal or No Deal as well as supporting Lee Hurst and Rhod Gilbert on tour.

That’s a question I’ll be asking myself hourly until August 28th.
A deadline is any writers best friend and worst enemy. It’s something to aim towards and work towards and something to make you write new things.

To save me from doing a lot of swearing at google, what is your history of Edinburgh shows?
2005. Compered The Big Value. 2006 Headlined The Big Value. 2008 Debut solo show “This is Ten Years From Now”. 2010. Second solo show “The Unlikely Lad.”

How do you choose a theme?

I look at the material I’ve got and see if there is a theme to it. Or this time I got an idea of the theme and now I am looking at my material and trying to see if it will fit in.

Do you choose themed shows or just a straight hour of stand up?

I’ve never really understood that. Most themed shows have stand up that could be in any show. I try to make sure there is a bit of a thread running through it. A bit of a story in there with straight stand up hanging off it. But saying that this year my show has more of a definite theme to it.

How do you assemble a show?

Five minutes of chat at the start to try and establish you are funny. Explain what the show is about, start a story, 45 minutes of material, call back to the story, big joke to end, good night!

Best piece of advice anyone gave you about the fringe?

Eat healthy, go for a run and don’t read any reviews ever.

What do you think the most common mistake acts make at the Fringe?

Reading reviews.

Most effective way of selling a show?

If I knew that we wouldn’t be doing this interview. Someone with an attitude problem would have turned you down on my behalf. But I think a lot of flyering by a good flyerer.

What’s your favourite memory of the fringe?

On my last night of 2008. A fellow comedian and I would go as far to say friend Steve Williams sat in the second row of my show with his venue passes round his neck wearing a pair of glasses he’d found, holding a note pad pretending to review me. He text me the next day I got four stars in “Word of Mouth”, read like a five.